Dodgers Drop Series to Braves

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Altanta Braves 8-2, dropping the four-game series 3-1. Javier Vazquez held the Dodgers to just one run over eight innings of work, and the offense floundered again, going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Martin Prado had two hits and three RBI's, and Matt Diaz homered, scored twice and drove in two runs. Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson both scored two runs. Manny Ramirez had three hits and a run scored for LA, and Andre Ethier scored the only other run. Casey Blake had the lone RBI.

Eric Stults had the start for the game, and went five innings while allowing three runs. To make room for Stults on the roster, Tony Abreu was demoted to Triple-A.

Pitching Mish-Mash Spells Dodgers' Doom

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Atlanta Braves 9-5 in 12 innings, evening the series at a game apiece. The Dodgers were cruising along with a 5-2 lead until Chad Billingsley hurt his hamstring running the base-paths. Hong-Chih Kuo was brought in, but without being able to warm up in the bullpen, he gave a large chunk of the lead back after surrendering a two-run homer to Kelly Johnson. LA nursed the lead going into the ninth, and with Jonathan Broxton on the mound, he gave up a single to Garret Anderson that scored Nate McLouth with two out to tie the game. Things were quiet up to the 12th inning, with Scott Elbert coming in to get the final two outs of the frame with two runners on despite being penciled in for the start on Sunday. Yunel Escobar singled to plate Anderson, and Ryan Church stuck the nail in the coffin with a three-run homer. Casey Blake had his own three-run blast, and Russell Martin had three hits and a run scored.

Jason Schmidt was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to pain in his right shoulder. Infielder Tony Abreu was called up to replace him. Abreu hasn't been on the big-league club since the 2007 season.

Dodgers News: From Wolf to Prey, So Long Abreu, and Five's for Fighting

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Chicago Cubs 12-3, their 10th loss of the season. Randy Wolf gave up 7 runs on 10 hits in four innings, and James McDonald surrendered four runs in less than two innings. James Loney had a double and a run scored, and A.J. Ellis had an RBI-double.

The Dodgers optioned six players to the minor leagues, including infielder Tony Abreu. Abreu missed all of last season with a sports hernia and a torn hip labrum, and was injured during this spring. He was a long-shot to make the club in April as a utility-infielder. Also optioned were Lucas May, Travis Schlichting, Victor Garate, Brent Leach, and Jesus Castillo.

Pedro Martinez still remains a possibility for the fifth-starter spot, especially with the poor outings of the current candidates as of late. Those candidates stand to be Claudio Vargas, Eric Milton, Shawn Estes and Eric Stults, with Milton as the current favorite. Jason Schmidt is out of the running as he struggles to stay in line with a five-day schedule, and Jeff Weaver has been marked bullpen-only. James McDonald, once a possible fifth-starter candidate, is now fighting to make the opening-day roster as he experiences a poor spring.

Abreu Knocks in Two in Dodgers' Loss

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Chicago Cubs 5-3 in their first Spring Training game in Arizona. Tony Abreu, who just last year missed the entire season with an injury, drove in 2 runs, and James Loney had two hits. Ramon Troncoso surrendered a grand slam to Micah Hoffpauier that sealed the Dodgers' fate. Matt Kemp had a hit and scored two runs, and Eric Milton pitched a scoreless inning-and-two-thirds. Claudio Vargas gave up one run in 2 innings.